News & Insight

Sydney's deputy Lord Mayor Robyn Kemmis has died. Ms Kemmis had lived in Glebe for more than 35 years. She was in her early 70s.

In her time with the Council, she worked with young people, including theThomas Kelly Youth Foundation, and advocated for social justice, equal opportunity and social housing at Glebe and Millers Point.

Tiny bastions of safety will pop up across Sydney's foreshore on New Years Eve as the city's information booths transform into safe spaces for the drunk, lost and injured.

The Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation's (TKYF) "Take Kare" Ambassadors will commandeer six information booths to help vulnerable revellers get home in one piece during one of the world's biggest NYE celebrations.

"Everyone deserves to have a great night on New Year's Eve and to come home safely at the end of it," said TKYF founder Ralph Kelly.

“Back on Xmas Eve, 1997; I was attacked by 5 guys leaving a pub in Hurstville," Neil Webster said.

“They proceeded to beat the crap out of me - my jaw broken in two places, three cracked ribs, and a concussion - just because I wasn't going the same way down the street as them. I spent weeks in hospital and lost 13kg drinking through a straw for the next three months.

Chris Lee was 18 years old when a stranger stabbed him in his left eye, stomped on his head, and watched as the teenager lay thrashing and bleeding on the pavement of William Street early on Easter Sunday 2012.

There is no doubt that marketing plays an influential role in shaping how we think about and consume different products. Products are promoted through numerous different channels across both traditional and new media platforms.

2011 Resident’s Association’s Helen Crossing tells the Senate Inquiry into Personal Choice and Community Impacts that the failed social experiment that saw the promotion of alcohol consumption in Kings Cross and the attendant harms to people and which culminated in the deaths of two young men is ample evidence that regulations need to remain in place.

NSW Premier Mike Baird congratulated this year's field of honourees, describing their achievements as inspiring examples to others.

"Together they have advocated for equality, supported the disadvantaged, and cared for those less fortunate than themselves. Their efforts and leadership have helped so many people and will continue to do so," he said in a statement before the event.

NSW recipients will join winners from across the country for the national awards which will be announced in Canberra on the eve of Australia Day.

The reaction of most people when they get a close-up look at the video of what happened in the so-called "Ultimate Fighting Championship", which took place in Etihad Stadium in Melbourne on Sunday, in front of a record-breaking 56,000 spectators. Just 59 seconds into the second round, American woman Holly Holm unleashes a left-foot kick to the head of undefeated champion Ronda Rousey, to go with the series of fearful left hooks that have already repeatedly snapped her head back and cut her lip.

As the foot connects, Rousey goes down like a sack of spuds, albeit one with brain trauma. Holm then falls upon Rousey's prone form and gives her another couple of smacks to the head for good measure.

The referee calls off the fight, Holm is declared the winner, and new World Bantamweight champion, the UFC world rejoices, and . . .

And what?

The red flashing lights? Aw, don't worry about that. That is Rousey, after also receiving stitches to her split lip, being taken to hospital. She was still too out of it to even think of making the post-fight press conference, but I'm sure she'll be all right. Forget her, I say!

She said laws would be introduced to State Parliament this week for a 2:00am last drinks call in pubs and clubs across Queensland.

Nightclub precincts would be able to apply for an extension of last drinks to 3:00am, but would need to impose a 1:00am lockout.

Rapid-consumption drinks like shots would also be banned from midnight.

Ms D'Ath said if passed, the laws would come into force on July 1 2016.

"I would rather - as a member of the Palaszczuk Government - explain to someone why at 2:30 in the morning they can't have another alcoholic drink, than explain to their parents why they're not coming home," she said.

Ms D'Ath said the State Government was standing up against alcohol-fuelled violence in the community.

"Personal safety must be paramount - this Government made a commitment at the last election to the people of Queensland to keep their loved ones safe when they went out at night, and this comprehensive package is designed to do just that," she said.

"One in six Queenslanders has been the victim of alcohol-fuelled violence and two-thirds of Queenslanders consider the city or centre of their town unsafe on a Saturday night."

She said there was about 30,000 hospitalisations each year due to alcohol consumption.

"The community is telling us it's time to act to keep people safe," she said.

"This is a comprehensive package that gets the balance right.

"It allows our licensed venues to continue to trade under their existing hours so people can enjoy Queensland's entertainment and nightlife at the same time as dealing with alcohol-fuelled harm in the early hours by calling last drinks at 2:00am."

THERE has been a significant decline in the number of critical and serious alcohol-related injuries presenting to St Vincent’s Hospital since the introduction of a “lockouts” at hotels and clubs in the Sydney CBD entertainment precinct, according to research published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

The average number of alcohol-related assaults has fallen by over 20 per cent across the State. A great outcome. And double that, over 40 per cent, in Kings Cross. That is an enormous drop.

The falls in specific time periods impacted by the new laws have been even greater. There are certain hours which were known as dangerous, the “witching hours” between midnight and 6am. Let’s have a look at some of those figures.

At 3.45am, Laura and Meggie were walking back to the Safe Space at Town Hall to finish their all-night shift. They found a man lying on the road covered in blood. Immediately going to his assistance Laura commenced providing CPR to the man who had been badly beaten by a group of other men. The man stopped breathing twice as they waited for the paramedics to arrive and take over.

Few people would have known that Meggie is Thomas Kelly’s cousin. Absolutely amazing work. We are so proud of both of you.

Working with the police, ambulance and paramedics this shows how crucial the Savlos Street Teams and Take Kare Ambassadors are to the night scene in Sydney.